Opinion: Proposed pipeline undermines state leadership in solar

P iedmont Natural Gas and Duke Energy selected Dominion Resources to build the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline to transport natural gas from West Virginia into North Carolina. The project will begin in late 2018, pending regulatory approvals.

Should the project be approved, North Carolina will have abandoned its commitment to renewable energy sources and left its land vulnerable to questionable environmental practices.

Natural gas distribution lines emit methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. And natural gas distribution lines have been shown to leak, according to a study by the Environmental Defense Fund and Colorado State University.

The Hill reported in April that drilling in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, the source of the proposed pipeline’s methane, was found to emit 100 to 1,000 times more of the greenhouse gas than the Environmental Protection Agency had anticipated.

But for distribution pipelines, the EPA has no power to enforce an emissions recommendation. Instead, the responsibility of avoiding leaks from the pipeline falls into the hands of the local distribution company — in this case, Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas. Such companies are also responsible for financing the repairs.

As more natural gas players enter the game, the likelihood of the public forming an organized effort against this pollution shrinks.

According to The (Durham) Herald Sun, the Chapel Hill Town Council refused in July to take action on an offer from Crimson Holdings Cooperation for the mineral rights to a tract neighboring the Meadowmont development. If the council accepted Crimson Holdings’ offer, the corporation would have had unregulated permission to drill on this tract or sell it to another drilling firm.

Roger Stancil, the Town Manager, was wise to ignore Crimson’s request to meet with a town attorney to discuss land acquisition. Officials in towns along I-95, which runs parallel to the pipeline’s proposed route, should conduct assessments of public opinion and environmental impact and present them during the permitting process.

Proponents of the pipeline argue its construction would create jobs and attract natural gas-related industries to North Carolina. But any construction endeavor would create jobs and build industries. Why invest in dependence on natural gas when North Carolina could sustain and develop its leadership in solar energy?

In 2013, North Carolina’s rate of growth in solar energy capacity ranked third in the nation. In addition to the prudent work of nonprofit projects such as Solarize NC, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Standard pioneered requirements for utilities to produce at least 12.5 percent of their electricity using renewable resources. Furthermore, a project geared toward solar upkeep sustains three times more jobs than that of natural gas, according to a report authored by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

State officials should prioritize the sustainable growth of North Carolina’s energy base instead of creating short-sighted infrastructure plans that further the state’s dependence on fossil fuel.